isolate definition | Dictionary.com

i⋅so⋅late

[v. ahy-suh-leyt; n., adj. ahy-suh-lit, -leyt]

verb, -lat⋅ed, -lat⋅ing, noun, adjective

–verb (used with object)

1.	to set or place apart; detach or separate so as to be alone.

2.	Medicine/Medical. to keep (an infected person) from contact with noninfected persons; quarantine.

3.	Chemistry, Bacteriology. to obtain (a substance or microorganism) in an uncombined or pure state.

4.	Electricity. to insulate.

5.	Television. to single out (a person, action, etc.) for a camera closeup.

–noun

6.	a person, thing, or group that is set apart or isolated, as for purposes of study.

7.	Psychology. a person, often shy or lacking in social skills, who avoids the company of others and has no friends within a group.

8.	Biology. an inbreeding population that is isolated from similar populations by physiological, behavioral, or geographic barriers.

9.	Also called language isolate. Linguistics. a language with no demonstrable genetic relationship, as Basque.

10.	something that has been isolated, as a by-product in a manufacturing process: an isolate of soy flour.

–adjective

11.	isolated; alone.

Origin:
1800–10; back formation from isolated

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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Language Translation for : isolate

Spanish:

aislar,

German:

isolieren,

Japanese:

孤立させる

View 30 other languages »

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i·so·late (ī'sə-lāt') Pronunciation Key
tr.v. i·so·lat·ed, i·so·lat·ing, i·so·lates

To set apart or cut off from others.
To place in quarantine.
Chemistry To separate (a substance) in pure form from a combined mixture.
To render free of external influence; insulate.
Microbiology To separate (a pure strain) from a mixed bacterial or fungal culture.
Psychology To separate (experiences or memories) from the emotions relating to them.
Electricity
1. To set apart (a component, circuit, or system) from a source of electricity.
2. To insulate or shield.

adj. (-lĭt, -lāt')
Solitary; alone.
n. (-lĭt, -lāt')

A person, thing, or group that has been isolated, as by geographic, ecologic, or social barriers.
Biology A population of bacteria or other cells that has been isolated.
Linguistics A language isolate.

[Back-formation from isolated.]
i'so·la'tor n.

Synonyms: These verbs mean to separate from others: a mountain that isolated the village from larger towns; insulated herself from the chaos surrounding her; a celebrity who was secluded from public scrutiny; segregated the infectious patients in a special ward; sequestering a jury during its deliberations.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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isolate (v.)

1807, back-formation from isolated (1763), from Fr. isolé "isolated" (1642), from It. isolato, from L. insulatus "made into an island," from insula "island." Isolationist, in ref. to U.S. foreign policy, is attested from 1899; isolationism from 1922.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

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isolate
verb
1.	place or set apart; "They isolated the political prisoners from the other inmates"
2.	obtain in pure form; "The chemist managed to isolate the compound"
3.	set apart from others; "The dentist sequesters the tooth he is working on" [syn: sequester]
4.	separate (experiences) from the emotions relating to them

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

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isolate i·so·late (ī'sə-lāt')
v. i·so·lat·ed, i·so·lat·ing, i·so·lates

To set apart or cut off from others.
To place in quarantine.
To separate a pure strain from a mixed bacterial or fungal culture.
To separate or remove a chemical substance out of a combined mixture.
To separate experiences or memories from the emotions relating to them.

n. (-lĭt, -lāt')
A bacterial or fungal strain that has been isolated.

i'so·la'tor n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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Main Entry: ¹iso·late
Pronunciation: 'I-s&-"lAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: -lat·ed; -lat·ing
: to set apart from others: as a : to separate (one with a contagious disease) from others not similarly infected b : to separate (as a chemical compound) fromall other substances : obtain pure or in a free state

Main Entry: ²iso·late
Pronunciation: 'I-s&-l&t, -"lAt
Function: noun
1 : an individual (as a spore or single organism), aviable part of an organism (as a cell), or a strain that has been isolated (as from diseased tissue, contaminated water, or the air); also : a pure culture produced from such an isolate
2 : a relatively homogeneous population separated from related populations by geographic, biologic, or social factors or by human intervention
3 : a sociallywithdrawn individual

Isolate

I"so*late\ (?; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Isolated; p. pr. & vb. n. Isolating.] [It. isolato, p. p. of isolare to isolate, fr. isola island, L. insula. See 2d Isle, and cf. Insulate.]

1. To place in a detached situation; to place by itself or alone; to insulate; to separate from others.

Short isolated sentences were the mode in which ancient wisdom delighted to convey its precepts. --Bp. Warburton.

2. (Elec.) To insulate. See Insulate.

3. (Chem.) To separate from all foreign substances; to make pure; to obtain in a free state.